1. Field
The following description relates to a scalable application service, and more particularly, to a method in which a scalable application service system provides scalable content including customized advertisement/news.
2. Description of the Related Art
With development of information communication technologies, more various kinds of electronic devices are being developed. Also, along with rapid development of mobile communication technologies, various kinds of mobile electronic devices as well as fixed-type electronic devices are being introduced. In the case of a desktop computer which is a representative fixed-type electronic device, the kinds of products are more and more diversified with performance enhancement. Meanwhile, typical analog electronic devices (for example, television) are being digitalized, and other home and office electronics (for example, washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, facsimile, printer, etc.) are also combined with information communication technologies to thus have enhanced performance while being further diversified.
Diversification in kind of electronic devices is significant in mobile devices. For example, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a MP3 player, a digital camera, a hand-held multimedia player, a navigations, an electronic dictionary, an E-book reader, a DMB receiver, etc. have been already developed and widely being utilized. Also, recently, a smart phone, a smart pad, a tablet PC, etc. have been newly introduced, and related industries are rapidly being expanded. Accordingly, such mobile devices are more and more diversified according to their purposes and performance.
Besides, some functions of such fixed-type and/or mobile electronic devices are integrated. For example, a camera function, a GPS function, a multimedia reproducing function, etc. are presently adopted in most of electronic devices, and accordingly applications based on these functions are installed in the electronic devices when they are manufactured, or implemented to be able to be installed in them as necessary. Particularly, most of the electronic devices have a communication function using a wired/wireless network.
However, most of such electronic devices use different platforms and different service framework environments, as well as having different characteristics or performance according to their dedicated functions, and users who utilize the electronic devices also may have different ages, different sexes, different preferences, etc. Also, an electronic device may be used under different use environments according to users' tastes, network environments, etc. In the case of a service, such as a multimedia streaming service and a web service, which provides multimedia content, studies into providing a scalable service in consideration of the unique characteristics (for example, terminal capability, a display size, a supportable resolution, an accessible network, etc.) of various terminals have been conducted.
Recently, with popularization of an IPTV service using the Internet, broadcasting services move from a unidirectional service of providing multimedia content to viewers to an interactive service, and service objects are also being diversified. Along with the trend, the IPTV service is trying to provide applications executable in various terminals, as well as video, audio, images, and web content, and also is preparing to provide a mobile IPTV service using a mobile communication network. When a mobile IPTV service is realized, the IPTV service will be evaluated to an IP convergence service that can be supported in both wired and wireless networks. Particularly, since the mobile IPTV service will be able to be provided through all terminals having a communication function through a mobile communication network, the IPTV service is expected to be able to be supported for various terminals at the same time.
However, web contents, applications, advertisement, digital contents, Graphic User Interface (GUIs), etc. have been provided with a single format regardless of the kinds or characteristics of terminals so far, and standardization or studies into a method of providing application services optimized for various user viewing states (device capability, user information, a viewing state such as a network environment, a service policy, etc.) have not sufficiently been conducted. For example, an application program that reproduces multimedia content, data, etc. provided through an IPTV service has fixed characteristics (for example, image quality, sound quality, a security level, the kind or number of contents configuring GUI, an access range, etc.), and no adaptive service to which information about viewing states of individual users who use the IPTV service is reflected has been developed so far.
A method of providing an optimized application service in consideration of information about viewing states of users has been introduced in which a service provider creates a plurality of formats for content in consideration of various viewing states of users, stores the formats for content, and then searches for and provides, when receiving a request, content corresponding to the request. For example, when a user tries web browsing through a mobile device with a small size of display, a content provider, such as Naver, Daum, etc., enables the mobile terminal to access a web page created in advance for the mobile terminal in order to represent a web suitable for the mobile terminal. However, since the method should create various formats of content in advance and store them in a service server, a service provider had to cover high service cost. Also, creating content optimized for all terminals with various characteristics is practically impossible.
Meanwhile, some web services enable a user to select his or her preferred content to see it. For example, a service provider may provide a “my news” service to allow a user to view only articles from his or her preferred press on a main web page. However, in order to provide such a service, a service provider has to provide a user with all of content selectable by him or her, and also the user has to select his or her desired content in advance and store it. Furthermore, in the case where the stored content is deleted from the user's computer, the user should again select his or her preferred content and store it.